secret ballot

(noun)

The voting system involving ballots available only at official polling places, prepared at public expense, containing the names of all candidates, and marked in secret at the polling places.

Related Terms

Examples of secret ballot in the following topics:

  • Types of Ballots

    • A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election; types of ballots include secret ballots and ranked ballots.
    • A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election, and may be a piece of paper or a small ball used in secret voting.
    • The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous.
    • However, the secret ballot may increase the amount of vote buying where it is still legal.
    • Before the secret ballot was introduced, voter intimidation was commonplace.

  • Party Leadership in the House

    • Party leaders and whips of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door caucus by secret ballot.
    • Unlike the Majority Leader, the Minority Leader is on the ballot for Speaker of the House when Congress convenes.
    • The floor leaders and whips of each party are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door caucus by secret ballot.

  • Types of Polls

    • In meetings subject to rules of order, impromptu straw polls often are taken to see if there is enough support for an idea to devote more meeting time to it, and (when not a secret ballot) for the attendees to see who is on which side of a question.

  • Primaries and Caucuses

    • Caucuses vary between the states in which they are held, however, generally they include speeches from party representatives, voter debate, and then voting by either a show of hands or a secret ballot .

  • Privacy Rights and the Right to Die

    • The state of Washington voters saw Ballot Initiative 119 in 1991, the state of California placed Proposition 161 on the ballot in 1992, Oregon voters passed Measure 16 (Death with Dignity Act) in 1994, the state of Michigan included Proposal B in their ballot in 1998, and Washington's Initiative 1000 passed in 2008.
    • Attempts to legalize PAD resulted in ballot initiatives and "legislation bills" in the United States in the last 20 years, as follows.
    • Voters in the state of Washington saw Ballot Initiative 119 in 1991.
    • The state of California placed Proposition 161 on the ballot in 1992.
    • The state of Michigan included Proposal B in their ballot in 1998.

  • Direct Lobbying

    • A common use of direct lobbying is to persuade the general public about a ballot proposal.
    • This aspect of direct lobbying attempts to alter the legislature before it is placed on the ballot.
    • Communications regarding a ballot measure are also considered direct lobbying.

  • Nominating Candidates

    • In order to have their names listed on election ballots, individuals seeking these offices must first be nominated.
    • The presumptive nominee is not formally nominated until the national convention, but he or she is all but assured of a place on the ballot in the general election by the conclusion of the primary season.
    • In a case where an independent, or unaffiliated, candidate receives sufficient signatures, his or her name will appear on the ballot in the general election.
    • Describe the steps by which a candidate appears on the ballot in a general election

  • Types of Elections

    • When he fought his first contested local election, he demonstrated a willingness to put his policies to the ballot.
    • When he fought his first contested local election, he demonstrated a willingness to put his policies to the ballot.
    • By contrast, in an open primary all voters may cast votes on a ballot of any party.
    • An Afghan man casts his ballot at a polling station in Lash Kar Gah, Helmand Province, September 18, 2005.

  • Electing Candidates

    • Generally, elections consist of voters casting ballots at polling places on a scheduled election day .
    • The first step in determining the results of an election is to tally the votes, for which various vote counting systems and ballot types are used.
    • Many electoral systems require voters to cast ballots at official, regulated polling places.

  • Low Voter Turnout

    • Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election.
    • For the numerator, it is often assumed that the number of voters who went to the polls should equal the number of ballots cast, which in turn should equal the number of votes counted, but this is not the case.
    • Not all voters who arrive at the polls necessarily cast ballots.
    • Some may be turned away because they are ineligible, some may be turned away improperly, and some who sign the voting register may not actually cast ballots.
    • Furthermore, voters who do cast ballots may abstain, deliberately voting for nobody, or they may spoil their votes, either accidentally or as an act of protest.